List of Sri Lankan Americans
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Sri Lankan American
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants, but not Sri Lankan nationals living or working in the U.S. The list includes a brief description of their reason for notability.
Sri Lankan American
Sri Lankan Americans are Americans of Sri Lankan descent. Sri Lankan Americans are persons of Sri Lankan origin from various Sri Lankan ethnic backgrounds who are born or raised in the United States or are naturalized citizens of the U.S. They incorporate American values into their lives and...
s, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants, but not Sri Lankan nationals living or working in the U.S. The list includes a brief description of their reason for notability.
Academics
- Rohan AbeyaratneRohan AbeyaratneRohan Abeyaratne is a Sri Lankan born American academic and engineer. The Quentin Berg Professor of Mechanics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology , he is currently the CEO & Director of the Singapore–MIT Alliance for Research and Technology and formerly the Head of the Department of...
- Academic and engineer. - Ananda CoomaraswamyAnanda CoomaraswamyAnanda Kentish Coomaraswamy was a Ceylonese philosopher and metaphysician, as well as a pioneering historian and philosopher of Indian art, particularly art history and symbolism, and an early interpreter of Indian culture to the West...
- Philosopher - Patrick MendisPatrick MendisPatrick Mendis is an educator, diplomat, author, and executive in government service. He taught MBA/MPA as well as international trade and American foreign policy courses at the University of Minnesota, University of Maryland University College, and Yale University before joining the U.S....
- Educator, diplomat, author, and executive in government service - Nalin KulatilakaNalin KulatilakaProfessor Nalin Kulatilaka is a Sri Lankan born American academic and researcher. The Wing Tat Lee Family Professor of Management as well as Professor of Finance in the School of Management at Boston University...
- Professor of Finance in the School of ManagementBoston University School of ManagementThe Boston University School of Management is the business school at Boston University in Boston. Founded in 1913 as the College of Business Administration, the school offers undergraduate and graduate programs....
at Boston UniversityBoston UniversityBoston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. - A. G. Unil Perera – Professor of Physics in Georgia State University
- Curuppumullage JinarajadasaCuruppumullage JinarajadasaCuruppumullage Jinarajadasa was a freemason, theosophist and president of the Theosophical Society Adyar. Jinarajadasa's interests and writings included religion, philosophy, literature, art, science and occult chemistry...
- a freemason, theosophistTheosophyTheosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
and president of the Theosophical Society AdyarTheosophical Society AdyarThe Theosophy Society - Adyar is the name of a section of the Theosophical Society founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. Its headquarters moved with Blavatsky and president Henry Steel Olcott to Adyar, an area of Chennai in 1883... - Chandra de Silva- Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, Old Dominion University
- Pathmajeewa GanepolaPathmajeewa GanepolaProfessor Pathmajeewa Ganepola MRCP, MD is a Sri Lankan born Professor attached to Columbia University New York City, USA.He is also the Medical Director of The Center for Cancer Research and Genomic Medicine at The Valley Hospital USA....
- Professor at Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the... - Aravinda de SilvaAravinda de SilvaPinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who is considered one of the finest batsmen produced by the country.He is also regarded as one of the most elegant batsman in his generation, and to date is the only player to make a hundred and take 3 or more wickets in a world cup...
– Professor of Microbial Pathogenesis in University of North Carolina lva - Stanley Jeyaraja TambiahStanley Jeyaraja TambiahStanley Jeyaraja Tambiah is a leading social anthropologist and Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University. He specializes in studies of Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Tamils, as well as the anthropology of religion and politics.- Biography :Tambiah was born in Sri Lanka to...
– social anthropologist linked to Harvard - H. Kumar Wickramasinghe-member of the National Academy of Engineering and respected pioneer in nanotechnology
- Kapila D. Silva - Assistant Professor - Architecture - The University of Kansas
Architects
- Ravi Gunewardena - AIA Architect practicing in Los Angeles,http://www.egarch.net/
- Kennath H. Walpita - Architect/Designer, LEED Accredited Designer - Los Angeles
- Ayanthi N. Fernando - Architect/Designer, LEED Accredited Designer - Los Angeles
Business
- Kumar MahadevaKumar MahadevaKumar Mahadeva was a Sri Lankan American founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Cognizant Technology Solutions. He resigned from Cognizant Technology Solutions in 2003. He has held senior positions at BBC, McKinsey, AT&T, and Dun & Bradstreet. He is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent.-References:...
- Entrepreneur and CEO - Sanjay KumarSanjay KumarSanjay Kumar Sanjay Kumar Sanjay Kumar (Sanjay Kumar (Sanjay Kumar ([[hindi) (born [[Dhanbad,India]]) was the [[Chairman]] and [[CEO]] of [[CA, Inc.|Computer Associates International]] (now CA Technologies), until April 2004.-Emigration:...
- Business man - Raj RajaratnamRaj RajaratnamRaj Rajaratnam is an American former hedge fund manager and founder of the Galleon Group, a New York-based hedge fund management firm. On October 16, 2009, he was arrested by the FBI on allegations of insider trading, which also caused the Galleon Group to close. He stood trial in U.S. v...
– is the founder of Galleon Group, a New York based hedge fund management firm
Film and entertainment
- Thushari JayasekeraThushari JayasekeraThushari Jayasekera is a Sri Lankan American actress, performer, and writer.- Biography :As a child, she moved with her parents and was raised in the United States. She was born in Sri Lanka and raised in the U.S. state of California...
– actress, writer, emcee, and performance artist; creator of "Jelly Noose South Asian minizine Apsara and with role of Pinky on NBC Outsourced 2010-2011, she is the first female American actress of Sri Lankan origin to play a principal role in a primetime show on a major American TV network. - Chandran RutnamChandran RutnamChandran Rutnam is a well known film maker from Sri Lanka and was more than 38 years in Los Angeles. He is of mixed minority Tamil and majority Sinhalese ancestry...
- Film director, producer, screenwriter. - Bernard White - actor, screen writer, film director
- Gina ZamparelliGina Zamparelli-Family:Gina Zamparelli is the daughter of Sri-Lankan model and Miss Universe title-holder Maureen Hingert and American designer Mario Armond Zamparelli.-Career:...
- Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- based concert promoter, and daughter of Maureen HingertMaureen HingertMaureen Neliya Hingert is a Sri Lankan model, dancer and actress. She is the only Sri Lankan representative to win an award at a Miss Universe pageant after finishing as second runner-up at the 1955 event....
. - Sathi Wijeyesinghe - actor, director, stunt man
Musicians
- Professor A.L.I. - Sri Lankan Tamil rapper and spoken wordSpoken wordSpoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
artist from SF Bay Area. - Ras Ceylon - rapper from Oakland. Artist of Scientific Non Fiction.
- DeLonDelonDeLon is a Sri Lankan American rapper and record producer.Delon, as a surname, may also refer to:* Alain Delon, a César Award-winning French actor* Anthony Delon, a French-American actor, son of Alain Delon and Nathalie Delon...
– rapper and record producer; first Sri Lankan-American to get on the Billboard charts - Dushyanthi – model, singer, actress, and dancer
- Ruwanga SamathRuwanga SamathRuwanga Samath , also known as Ru, is a Sri Lankan record producer and the president of The Bird Call Productions. Ru has lived in Los Angeles, CA since December 1997.-Early life:...
- record producer and the president of The Bird Call Productions.
Politics and law
- Roy Wijewickrama - District Court Judge for North Carolina 30A Judicial District.
Religion
- Bawa MuhaiyaddeenBawa MuhaiyaddeenMuhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a saintly Tamil-speaking teacher and Sufi mystic from the island of Sri Lanka who first came to the United States on October 11, 1971 and established the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship in Philadelphia...
- Teacher and SufiSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
mystic. - Witiyala Seewalie TheraWitiyala Seewalie TheraWitiyala Seewalie Thera is the founder and chief incumbent priest of . Currently, he is serving the Buddhist spiritual needs for people in six midwestern states-Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.- Early life & Education :Seewalie Thera was born in Witiyala, Sri...
- Founder/President and abbot of the Minnesota Buddhist Vihara and recently appointed Deputy Chief Sangha Nayaka of North America
Sports People
- Nagalingam EthirveerasingamNagalingam EthirveerasingamDr Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam represented Sri Lanka in the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games and three Asian Games.He won the first Asian Games gold medal for Sri Lanka in 1958. He taught in Universities in Sierra Leone, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria and Sri Lanka...
- Sri Lankan Olympian for 19521952 Summer OlympicsThe 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
and 1956 Olympic Games1956 Summer OlympicsThe 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations... - Barney HenricusBarney HenricusAnsdale "Barney" William Henricus was a Sri Lankan boxer who competed in the 1938 British Empire Games.He was born in Colombo and died in Escondido, California, United States....
- Sri Lankan 1938 British Empire Games Boxing Gold medallist. - Eric ObeysekereEric ObeysekereEric Obeysekere is a Sri Lankan American basketball player. He was the first person from the Indian subcontinent to be offered a Division 1 scholarship to play men's basketball. At 6'8.5" and with a 7'4" wingspan, he is currently the tallest living Sri Lankan man in the world...
- College basketball player
Writers
- Indran AmirthanayagamIndran AmirthanayagamIndran Amirthanayagam was born in 1960 in Colombo, Ceylon . When eight years old, he moved with his family to London, and at 14 to Honolulu, Hawaii. He began writing in Honolulu....
- Authour - V.V. GaneshananthanV.V. GaneshananthanV.V. Ganeshananthan is a Sri Lankan American fiction writer, essayist, and journalist.Ganeshananthan is the author of Love Marriage, a novel set in Sri Lanka and North America, which was published by Random House in April 2008. Love Marriage was named one of the Washington Post Book World's Best of...
– fiction writer, essayist, and journalist - Mary Anne MohanrajMary Anne MohanrajMary Anne Amirthi Mohanraj is an American writer, editor, and academic of Sri Lankan birth.- Background :Mohanraj was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka but moved to the United States at the age of two and grew up in New Britain, Connecticut. She attended Miss Porter's School and the University of...
– speculative fiction writer and editor who helped found Strange HorizonsStrange HorizonsStrange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue.... - Romesh RatnesarRomesh RatnesarRomesh Ratnesar is an Asian-American journalist and author. He is the former Deputy Managing Editor at TIME magazine, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.-Early life:...
- journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. - Rosemary RogersRosemary RogersRosemary Rogers, née Rosemary Janz is a best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her first book, Sweet Savage Love, was published in 1974. She was the second romance author, after Kathleen Woodiwiss, to have her novels published in trade paperback format...
- Best selling author of romance novels in the USA. Has been on the New York Times best-sellers list.